SIUE Looking for a Lift to Help Feed Those in Need

If The Campus Kitchen at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville wants to feed more people this year, and it does, then it will have to procure more money to do so.

“That’s where the SIUE community comes in and can help us make a greater impact in our area,” said Sarah Laux, assistant director of Community Engagement in SIUE’s Kimmel Student Involvement Center.

Beginning tomorrow through Feb. 27, Campus Kitchen at SIUE (CKSIUE) will participate in the national online fundraiser Raise the Dough.

“It’s easy to participate,” Laux said. Please click, Raise The Dough for CKSIUE. “You can donate as many times as you want and as much as you like. This is our first year participating in the Raise the Dough Challenge. We don’t have a goal. We just want to raise as much money as we can to continue this important work.”

CKSIUE will compete against the other 24 Campus Kitchens across the country to raise money and awareness for their respective programs, according to Laux. CKSIUE is a non-profit that has been in operation since Sept. 10, 2014. It partners with The Campus Kitchens Project, a national organization with a goal to cultivate leaders to develop a national network of local solutions to the problem of hunger.

CKSIUE’s objectives are to recover food from cafeterias, grocery stores, and restaurants and allow student volunteers to prepare and deliver meals to the community. Among other things, CKSIUE is responsible for recycling food, providing meals and education to the community and making leadership opportunities for students.

Some of CKSIUE’s highlights since its inception include:

• 771 pounds of food have been recovered

• 690 clients have been served through CKSIUE’s various programs

• 560 meals have been served

• Students have completed 338 service hours serving Campus Kitchen

Last year, CKSIUE received a $5,000 grant from the Sodexo Foundation and a $5,000 grant from the SIUE Meridian Society to start operation.

“We need funds to continue our work and to grow,” Laux said. “The school that raises the most money will receive a cash prize to go toward their efforts. The money would help in long-term solutions to hunger and food waste.

“We’re not concentrated on winning as much as we are on providing meals for those in need and helping to reduce waste,” Laux added. “So, we need everybody to go online and help us Raise the Dough!”

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of nearly 14,000.